Part of the Scenery
by Psamathe
Summary: The End? May contain spoilers for Season 3. Character death. Gene/Alex


Alex Drake was home. For twenty-seven years she'd lived for this moment, and she couldn't help a wry smile as she watched the green sluggish waters of the River Thames drift past.

"I made it," she whispered, half to herself and half to the universe in general.

The tide was far enough out for her to walk a little way along the river's edge. The gravel crunched beneath her feet, whilst on the embankment up above a busker played a tune that was almost but not entirely unrecognisable.

It was colder than she remembered. There were clouds scudding across the blue sky, the odd spot of rain. Alex turned her face to the wind and smiled.

After today the world would be made anew.

She glanced at her watch… somewhere close by an anxious mother would be taking her daughter to school… talking about birthday presents and Blackberry's, the memory brought a smile to Alex's lips. She felt the weight of the gun in her pocket… everything was about to change.

_"No use pretending Bolly. You don't need me anymore."_

_He was her constant; the one thing that made sense in this crazy world and Alex couldn't stop the tears from forming in her eyes. _

_"Will I see you again?" _

_He brushed a tear from her cheek and smiled, a real genuine smile. The first she had ever seen. _

_" You won't be alone, Alex."_

The conversation came back to her at odd moments. Finally learning the truth should have been cathartic, but Alex had found her thoughts tinged with an odd sense of regret. Soon afterwards, she had been transferred to another station and her 'imaginary constructs' had simply faded from her life. Despite Gene's words the years had been long and lonely ones. Sometimes she thought she saw him, a figure in a crowd, the scent of whiskey and cigarettes… Sometimes Alex liked to think that he was still watching over her.

Even now, in 2008, she felt like she was trapped outside of time. There was numbness in her soul that she had been unable to fight. As the years dragged on she felt less and less alive and resigned herself to the purgatory of waiting for this moment.

A gunshot, a man's voice and a scream from the embankment shattered her thoughts.

She hurried across the beach, seeking shelter under the wooden dock. Being back here, a witness to the events that had sent her spiralling back to 1981 was proving more traumatic that she had expected. Hearing Layton's voice again … Alex was fighting the urge to be sick.

In a matter of minutes he would be coming down here, dragging Molly with him, and Alex was going to shoot the bastard.

Kill him now and Alex would never be sent back to 1981. She would never be separated from her daughter… she would never know that Evan White had slept with her mother, never find out that Tim Price had murdered his wife… never meet Gene Hunt.

Alex hesitated, remembering his hand in hers and wondering if Gene had really been the one to help that little girl. Gene… always watching over her.

_"I'm happy, hope you're happy too,"_

No, not a memory, Layton's voice. It was happening. It was happening now.

"Don't shoot! There's a child! Hold your fire!"

"Stay back, you stay BACK! Now you follow me, and I'll blow her headoff!"

Alex took a step backwards, shrouding herself in shadows. She could hear Molly's whimpers as Layton dragged her across the beach. The gun was cool in Alex's hand.

"Layton," her voice was barely a whisper but she wasn't about to shoot a man in the back without giving him some warning. Even Layton deserved that much.

Her finger tightened on the trigger as he turned, pushing Molly away as he brought his weapon round to bear.

"Molly run!" Alex screamed. Her child didn't need to see a man gunned down in front of her eyes.

The gunshot was louder than she remembered. Even as she fell, Alex could have sworn that she had fired first, but she had been a fraction of a second too slow… the precious moment stolen, as she made sure that Molly was safe.

She didn't even see Layton run away.

"No, no, no…" she cried, her hands clutching at her chest. They came away bloody.

She heard shouts as someone called for an ambulance. There were people gathered around her. As crazy as it might sound, Alex thought she recognised some of the faces…Mac, Sam, Sally … Caroline Price.

She could smell whiskey and cigarettes.

A dark figure crouched down beside her, pulling her body against his, holding her tenderly as if in a lover's embrace. Alex gasped, trying desperately to suck air into her lungs.

"Gene?"

"I'm here, Bolly."

"It hurts, " she moaned, gritting her teeth against the pain.

"I know," he replied as he stroked her hair.

"It wasn't… it wasn't supposed to end this way. Layton… Layton should be dead."

"You saved Molly."

And Alex finally realised that this had never been about stopping Layton, but stopping the bullet that had been meant for her daughter. He knew... Gene always knew when the end was near. Why else was he here?

She struggled to rise but her body refused to cooperate.

"Easy, Bolls…" he warned, holding her just a little bit tighter.

"Don't let me die."

"Molly's safe, there's no one else to fight for."

"You don't understand."

"Never could fathom out a word you said."

"Don't let her die!"

Alex wasn't begging for herself, but for the woman who would be the victim of Layton's next bullet. She'd fought too long… too hard to give up easily.

"If I mean anything to you at all…" The words she chose were deliberate.

"That's not how this works… you know that," he said but his gentle tone was at odds with the anguish in his eyes.

"I… She needs you."

He didn't reply.

Her vision darkened. Alex could still feels Gene's arms about her but she felt like she was withdrawing from the world. As hard as she fought, Alex couldn't keep a hold of the fading threads of her life. Gene was supposed to have brought her peace and comfort but Alex felt neither. This was death… painful and all the more frightening because she didn't want to leave.

Alex wanted to shout and scream, but her voice was no more than a death rattle.

She took a breath…

_Layton's bullet sped towards her. _

Another …

_Molly's first words, her first steps_

Breathe in… breath out…

_Gene taking her hand_

So many moments.

Gene…

_I loved you. _


End file.
